Commencing Combat
by Zorpox
Summary: Modern AU. This is in the “Another Battle” series that I started. Three years after Zuko’s mother died Sokka moves to Zuko’s school. This is the friendship and trouble that follows.
1. FNG

Series: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Title: Commencing Combat  
Chapter: 1  
Chapter Title: FNG  
Author: Hakuryu08  
Rating: T (for future chapters. This chapter should probably be rated K)  
Genre: Angst/Friendship  
Characters: Sokka & Zuko  
Disclaimer: I still don't own ATLA or Sokka or Zuko. If that ever changes, I'll let you know.  
Summary: Modern AU. This is in the "Another Battle" series that I started. Three years after Zuko's mother died Sokka moves to Zuko's school. This is the friendship (and trouble) that follows.  
Author's Note 1: FNG is a acronym used in vietnamn that means "fuckin' new guy" (omg, I typed it! Does typing a curse count as cursing?). I found it researching war terms to use as chapter titles. Please let me know if I got that wrong.  
Author's Note 2: The classes that Sokka and Zuko have are based on my own when I was in that grade. I don't know what school is like now.

Commencing Combat  
Chapter 1: FNG

_Lunch_, Sokka thought, _is definitely the most intimidating part of school._ The lunch room was crowded with kids, all with their own group of friends. Sokka looked around nervously, not sure where to go. He wasn't used to interacting with kids his own age. Being the son of an ambassador, he had spent most of his young life traveling and being homeschooled by his mom.

Unfortunately, that wasn't a possibility anymore. So, here he was trying to fit in at a normal school. He had been fine in his classes. It was easy to ignore the way the other students looked at him when he was busy paying attention to his teacher. Now he wasn't sure what to do.

Sokka glanced to the side and noticed a boy about his age sitting at a table by himself. He had his books and notes spread out around him, his lunch untouched. With a shrug of his shoulders, Sokka began to make his way to the mostly empty table. At least he and this guy seem to have something in common.

___________

"Is it okay if I sit here?" Zuko looked up at the voice to see a boy, despite the question, already sitting himself at the table. The boy gave Zuko a wide smile, his bright blue eyes glancing at Zuko's work before looking at him expectantly.

Scowling, Zuko gestured to his work. "I'm a bit busy here as you can see," he said, hoping the intruder would take the hint.

"Yes, I can see that," the boy said, his smile still in place. "What'cha working on?"

"Schoolwork. What does it look like?" Zuko bit back.

The boy rolled his eyes before responding, "I meant what class."

"Does it matter?" Zuko asked.

"Not really," the boy stated. "I'm Sokka, by the way. What's your name?"

Zuko glared at the boy, trying to be as menacing as a thirteen-year-old boy could. When Sokka just blinked at him, Zuko sighed heavily. "Zuko," he stated shortly, not bothering with anything else.

If possible, Sokka's smile got even wider. "Cool." Sokka glanced down at Zuko's work again, "You must really like to learn."

"I need A's," Zuko said, this time not even looking up from the equation he was working on.

Sokka looked at the equation and frowned. "That's not right," he stated.

"Who asked you?!" Zuko seethed angrily.

"You're the one who said you needed A's. I'm just trying to help." Sokka reached across the table, pointing at a part towards the beginning of the equation. "That should be a negative," he stated, confidently.

Zuko looked at where the boy was pointing and realized, with great annoyance, that he was right. He groaned audibly when he noticed how much that simple mistake affected his answer. There was no point trying to fix it; it would be easier to rewrite the whole problem.

Looking up, Zuko glared at the boy. "You tend to pay more attention to the big picture, don't ya," Sokka said, his amused voice betraying his now-sympathetic smile. "That causes you to lose track of the smaller details. I do that a lot. When I get an idea I just go for it, but it doesn't always work out the way I planned. Mom always said that it's good to look to the future, but if you don't focus on what you're doing now, you'll have trouble getting there." Sokka gave a sad smile for an instant before he laughed it away, flashing Zuko with his huge grin once again.

Zuko stared, puzzled by this strange boy. After a moment he stated, "You look younger than me," to which Sokka's eyes grew wide and his smile actually disappeared for a brief second.

"I'm twelve," he answered the strangely asked question, smile back in place, if a little smaller.

"I'm thirteen," Zuko stated, still confused, "You're taking algebra?"

Sokka gave him an odd look. "Am I not supposed to be?"

"Most seventh-graders aren't," Zuko answered.

Sokka shrugged. "I took a placement test when Gran Gran first enrolled me and they put me in eighth-grade classes." He shrugged again, looking away in thought. "That explains why I've been getting odd looks in my classes all day. I thought it was just because I was the new kid. Do I really look younger than everyone else?"

This time it was Zuko's turn to shrug. "You didn't notice you were a grade above where you should be?" He asked, curious at how the boy could miss such a thing.

"This is my first time in a regular school," Sokka answered, "It was just me and my sister when I was homeschooled."

"Why aren't you being homeschooled anymore?" Zuko couldn't help but ask.

Sokka paused at the question, considering how to answer. "Mom used to teach us, but she… can't anymore." His smile had turned sad again and he took a breath before continuing, "Dad… wasn't really prepared to handle two middle school kids on his own, so he sent us here to live with Gran Gran. And she decided that we need… What were her words?" Sokka looked at the table, hand on his chin. Then he snapped his fingers saying, "Oh right! 'You need social interaction with children your own age.'" At this, he pointed his finger in the air as if imitating his Gran Gran, his original smile back in place.

Zuko marveled at how many different smiles this boy seemed to have and how quickly he changed them. He could now associate Sokka's sad smile with the boy's mother and, judging from Sokka's words, it wasn't hard to figure out why.

Zuko was also beginning to realize that he wasn't going to get rid of the boy anytime soon. For whatever reason, Sokka seemed determined to sit with him. Although, Zuko reasoned, this may be a good thing. Sokka talked a lot but was obviously intelligent and had already helped him with his homework. Math wasn't Zuko's best subject and, as much as he hated the idea of asking a boy he just met for help, he really didn't want to face his father if he brought home another B.

"So… you're good at math?" Zuko asked, hesitantly.

Sokka's smile widened again as he nodded. "I love math!" He stated, enthusiastically, "It's my favorite subject. Next to science, but they go hand in hand."

"Right…" Zuko said, still unsure, "So, I guess you probably understand this stuff better than me." Zuko gestured to his work in case it wasn't clear what he was talking about.

"I don't know about that. I don't know how good _you_ are at math. Did you need some help?" Sokka didn't even wait for an answer before he darted to the other side of the table to better see what Zuko was working on.

Zuko jumped at the quick movement and blushed at how close Sokka suddenly was. Sokka's head was directly over his shoulder, a hair away from touching his own head. Personal boundaries were obviously a foreign concept to the boy. Before Zuko could say anything about their closeness, Sokka jumped right into the world of mathematical equations, pointing out mistakes and explaining how to fix them and why. By the end of the lunch period, Zuko actually felt like he had a better grasp on the material.

___________

When the lunch bell rang, signaling the need to get to their next class, Zuko began gathering up his things while Sokka moved back to the other side of the table to get his bag. The sudden awkwardness of the situation swept over them as both boys remembered their own lack of experience with other kids their age. Sokka hadn't been looking for a friend when he decided to sit here; he just did not want to sit alone. Now, he realized he actually liked talking to Zuko but wasn't sure how to proceed. Deciding not to draw it out they each said their own "goodbye" and "see ya" before heading to their respective classes.

___________

The next day, Zuko gave the lunchroom a quick glance before sitting at his normal table and looking around again. He didn't see Sokka anywhere and he wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.

Shrugging slightly, he began pulling out his work for the day. It wasn't long before he heard a voice across from him. "Are you going to eat that this time?" the voice asked, breaking Zuko's concentration away from the history report he was looking over. Glancing up, Zuko saw Sokka already seated and gesturing to Zuko's lunch, which he hadn't bothered to open.

Zuko sighed, but found himself smiling a little despite the annoyance. Sokka wasn't that bad after all. He was actually interesting and he seemed to genuinely want to spend time with Zuko, maybe even be friends. Zuko wasn't sure if he could allow this to go that far, but he decided he could allow himself to enjoy the other's company, just this once.

* * *

I'm alive! And I wrote a story! I'm so sorry this took so long. All I can say is school sucks. I wrote the first half of this months ago but couldn't find time to get back to it. Unfortunately, this is only the first chapter. I'll write the next chapter as soon as I can but I can't promise it will be up before the summer (the end of the semester is always the hardest). I'll do my best. Until then, review please!


	2. Friendly Fire

To anyone who read this back when I first posted it, I'm so sorry this took so long.

Title: Commencing Combat  
Chapter: 2  
Chapter Title: Friendly Fire  
Author: Hakuryu08  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Prompt: Lonely  
Characters: Sokka & Zuko  
Rating: T  
Genre: Angst/Friendship  
Word Count: 1,240  
Disclaimer: I still don't own ATLA or Sokka or Zuko. If that ever changes, I'll let you know.  
Summary: Modern AU. This is in the "Another Battle" series that I started. Three years after Zuko's mother died Sokka moves to Zuko's school. This is the friendship (and trouble) that follows. I was having trouble with this story so I joined a prompt community on LJ for inspiration called 10 Hurt/Comfort.

Commencing Combat  
Chapter 2: Friendly Fire

"Sokka! Dad's on the phone!"

Sokka jumped off his bed and dashed down the hall so fast Katara had to blink a few times to clear the blur from her vision. The 11-year-old handed the phone off to her extremely hyper older brother and then skipped down to her own room, still smiling from her talk with their father.

"Dad!" Sokka practically yelled into the phone. "Are you there?"

There was a soft crackle from the other end, most likely the warning of a bad connection, but it didn't stop Sokka from hearing a deep, joyful laugh before his father said, "I'm here son," with humor clear in his tone.

Sokka threw himself at the sofa, unable to contain his excitement. He and his sister had lived with their Gran Gran for almost two months now and it wasn't often that their father was able to call. It had become sort of a treat for Sokka when he was able to speak with the older man.

Starting the conversation, Sokka asked his father about work and about the places he travelled. He moved to more comfortably lie on his back as his father regaled him with stories of the countries he had been to and the people he had met. He told stories about other ambassadors that made Sokka laugh and he even talked about some of the landmarks that he knew Sokka would have loved to see.

It wasn't long before his father began asking about his life and Sokka told him how well he was doing in his classes and how much he was enjoying them. He did not mention the way some of his peers still looked at him or how some of the boys treated him. His father was proud when Sokka originally told him he had skipped ahead a grade and he didn't want to disappoint the man. Instead he focused the conversation on what he was learning; making sure to concentrate on how much he loved the material so his father wouldn't detect anything in his voice that would cause him to worry.

Sokka took a breath when he ran out of classes to talk about and waited for his father to continue with a different topic. He winced as he thought about the possible matters his father could bring up and realized that the most likely topic was his social life. Sokka had only made one friend so far and they didn't even talk much outside of school. He put so much effort into his time spent with Zuko that he barely interacted with anyone else, and Sokka didn't see anything wrong with that. He enjoyed talking with Zuko during their lunches and he actually felt like he and Zuko were close to becoming friends.

"Sokka?" His father's voice was surprisingly hesitant and Sokka's mind immediately focused on it. He knew that voice.

"Is something wrong, Dad?" Sokka asked, hoping he had misheard his father's tone.

There was a moment's pause before his father answered. "I have some bad news." Sokka heard his father take in some air, as if he was trying to put off what he was about to say. "There's a conference that I'll be required to attend in a few months."

At hearing this, Sokka became more confused than worried. "Why is that bad?" He asked. "You go to conferences all the time."

Sokka's father sighed before continuing. "This one starts in the middle of May and will last a few weeks."

Sokka shot up into a sitting position. "But that means you'll miss my birthday." He stated, tears welling up in his eyes. He reined them in quickly, knowing they wouldn't help the situation, and forced himself to listen to the apology his father was currently giving him.

"…you're upset but I promise your present will be there before your birthday and I'll call the day of so it will almost be like I'm there… Sokka?"

"I'm here, Dad." Sokka's voice was strained but he held it together. He knew his father didn't have a choice and he didn't want to make the man feel guilty. "It's okay. I understand. You'd be there if you could."

Sokka heard his father sigh again and he knew the man wasn't sure if he should continue his apology or end the topic. "So, where are you heading next?" Sokka asked, making the decision for him.

The two talked a bit more but it wasn't long before the Ambassador was pulled away for a meeting and Sokka was forced to say his goodbye.

___________

"What's with you today?" Zuko asked as he watched Sokka pick at his food. Usually, Zuko couldn't even tell what the other boy was eating because it was gone so fast.

"I'm fine." Sokka stated, defensively. He immediately began shoveling food into his mouth in an attempt to prove his declaration.

Zuko wasn't convinced. Putting his pencil down, he gave Sokka a hard stare, not yielding until the younger boy put his fork down and looked up to meet his eyes. Zuko had become accustomed to Sokka's cheerful nature so it was easy to see the difference today. He wasn't even trying to keep his smile in place.

"My birthday's in a couple months." Sokka said, looking away again. "I'll be thirteen."

Zuko continued to stare, now even more confused. "Umm… That's great. Mine's not 'til September."

"I was really looking forward to it." Sokka continued. "But I don't really care anymore."

"But it's your thirteenth. You'll be a teenager." Zuko gave Sokka a rare smile, uneasy with the lack of one from the other boy. Whatever was going on, it seemed like Sokka was giving up and that worried Zuko the most. Sokka wasn't the type to give up on anything.

"It doesn't matter. Neither of them will be there." Sokka stared down at the table, his lunch completely forgotten, while Zuko considered his words. Zuko was already aware that Sokka's mother died fairly recently. Unfortunately, he had no idea who the second person could be. The most he knew about the other's family was that his father was an ambassador and he lived with his grandmother and sister.

"My dad called yesterday." Sokka broke the short silence, knowing he owed Zuko a bit more of an explanation. "He has a big conference in May and he won't be able to be here."

Zuko's eyes widened as he realized exactly what Sokka was saying. Not only would this be his first birthday without his mother, but it would also be his first without his father.

"Did you have plans?" Zuko asked and winced as he realized he was probably making things worse.

"Not really." Sokka answered, sadly, shaking his head. "I just wanted to see him."

"So… No party?" Zuko cocked his head to the side slightly to emphasize his question.

Sokka shrugged keeping his eyes on the table. "You're the only person I would invite if I have one. I don't really know anyone else around here. It probably wouldn't be much of a party."

"I'll be there." Zuko stated with confidence.

Sokka's eyes widened in surprise and he glanced up at Zuko uncertainly. "Really?" He asked, searching Zuko's face to be sure.

"Why wouldn't I be there?" Zuko paused to ready himself for what he knew he needed to say. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Sokka's smile lit up the whole cafeteria. "Yes. Yes, we are."


	3. Veteran

Title: Commencing Combat  
Chapter: 3  
Chapter Title: Veteran  
Author: Zorpox  
Fandom: Avatar: The Last Airbender  
Prompt: Jealousy  
Characters: Sokka & Zuko  
Rating: T  
Genre: Angst/Friendship  
Word Count: 1,309  
Disclaimer: I still don't own ATLA or Sokka or Zuko. If that ever changes, I'll let you know.  
Summary: Modern AU. This is in the "Another Battle" series that I started. Three years after Zuko's mother died Sokka moves to Zuko's school. This is the friendship (and trouble) that follows. This prompt cam from 10 Hurt/Comfort over on LJ

Commencing Combat  
Chapter 3: Veteran

Zuko wasn't sure what to say as he looked around the horribly rundown building he was currently standing in. "You bought this place?" He finally asked, making his distaste known as he narrowed his eyes critically.

"I know it doesn't look like much now," his Uncle Iroh responded, "but it will look amazing in no time. I hired a contractor and we started drawing up plans for the remodel."

Zuko glanced at his uncle curiously. "What for?" He asked.

"I'm going to open my own teashop." Iroh stated, proud of his investment.

"Oh." Zuko glanced around again. His uncle was retired and he was aware that the old man was extremely bored. That would have been very hard to miss. But this venture seemed a bit much. Zuko couldn't imagine this decrepit old building looking like anything but the dump it currently resembled.

'Sokka would see it.' Zuko sighed. He knew that Sokka had a much better imagination than he did. It many ways, Sokka reminded him of his uncle. Zuko was sure Sokka would have been just as excited about this place as Iroh was. He probably would have started adding his own ideas. Zuko sighed again.

"Is everything alright, Nephew?" Iroh asked, looking at Zuko in concern. The two of them had travelled further into the shop and were now standing in what Zuko assumed would be the dining area. There were a few badly damaged tables scattered around but not many chairs.

"I'm fine, Uncle." Zuko answered. "Just thinking."

Iroh picked up an overturned chair and placed it at the closest table. He gestured for his nephew to pull over the chair at the next table as he sat. "Is there anything you wish to talk about?"

Zuko placed his chair across from his uncle and sat down, putting his elbows up on the table. He sighed again as he decided whether or not he felt like talking. Iroh pulled a thermos and two small plastic cups out of his 'giant tea bag', as Zuko liked to call it, and poured them both a cup of tea.

"I was just wishing I could see what you see." Zuko started. He pulled his cup towards him and looked down at it as he continued. "My friend, Sokka, would be able to see it too. I guess I'm a little jealous."

"Your friend?" Iroh questioned with a smile. "I don't remember you mentioning him before."

"He moved here a couple months ago." Zuko looked back at his uncle and smiled as well as he remembered Sokka's first day. "I tried to scare him away but it didn't work."

Iroh chuckled, cup of tea now in his hands. "Well, what is he like?" He asked, taking a sip.

"He's really smart. We work on school work together a lot and he actually enjoys it. And he's very energetic. He loves telling stories about all the places he's been to. His father's an ambassador and his whole family used to travel all around the world."

Iroh sat back in his chair as he listened to his nephew. It was rare to see the boy this happy. "He sounds interesting. I'd like to meet him sometime."

Zuko nodded. "You and him have a lot in common. You even seem to handle things the same way."

"What do you mean?" Iroh asked.

Zuko blushed, embarrassed that he noticed so much about someone he hadn't known for very long. "I just noticed that Sokka has a lot of smiles. He has this sad smile that comes out whenever he talks about his mother. He's never actually said this, but I'm almost positive she's… dead." Zuko paused and looked at the cup in his hands again. "I'm pretty sure it happened right before he came here. He and his sister live with their grandma now. His father still travels."

Iroh nodded in understanding, taking another sip of his tea before he continued the conversation. "It sounds like you two have become good friends."

"Yeah…" Zuko paused again, not sure how to word what he wanted to say next. "But I'm worried that it won't last." He confessed, hoping his uncle would understand. "I've never had a real friend before. I'm not even sure if I'm doing it right."

"Zuko-" Iroh tried to speak but Zuko cut him off.

"I mean, from what Sokka's been saying, he's never had a friend his own age either. But he seems so much more confident than me. It's like all of this comes natural to him. It's not fair."

Iroh sighed while he considered the best way to combat Zuko's insecurities. "Tell me, Zuko." He said after a moment, placing his tea back on the table. "Do you care about Sokka?"

Zuko's eyes widened at the question and he ducked his head lower in order to hide his current blush, this time embarrassed that he didn't even have to consider his answer. "Yes." He said, softly. "I actually realized this a few days ago. Sokka was upset. I could tell because he wasn't smiling and I didn't like that. It just wasn't right."

"What did you do?"

Zuko glanced up as he answered. "I found out what was wrong. He was upset because he found out his father wouldn't be here for his birthday." Zuko nearly gasped as he remembered what he had said that day. "I promised him that I would be there."

Iroh smiled. "Then you have nothing to worry about. You showed that you care enough about your friend to be there for him when he needs you. That's the most important thing in a friendship and as long as you both remember that, the two of you will be just fine."

Zuko considered his uncle's words. "Sokka did smile when I told him I'd be there for his birthday." He said, slowly. With the realization that he hadn't needed anyone to tell him what to do to help Sokka, Zuko looked up at Iroh with satisfaction. "Thank you, Uncle." He gave the older man a soft smile before taking a sip of his tea, doing his best to hide the grimace that almost always followed. He never really liked tea.

"You are quite welcome, Nephew. Now, what do you think I should name my teashop?"

They talked for some time after that. Zuko pretended to drink his tea while Iroh randomly threw out names that Zuko mostly shook his head at.

"Oh dear." Iroh said after a few hours had past. "I didn't realize how late it was getting."

"What time is it?" Zuko asked in alarm.

"Nearly nine." Iroh looked from his watch to his nephew, not liking the note of fear he was sure he heard in his nephew's voice. "Why don't you call your father. Tell him you're with me and I'll drive-"

"That's okay, Uncle." Zuko interrupted, already heading for the door, this time the fear unmistakable. "Thanks for everything."

"Nephew, wait…" But Zuko was gone.

* * *

Zuko was out of breath by the time he reached his home, having run the whole way. He really should have taken his uncle up on his offer of a ride but he was afraid that it would have caused more harm than good. He still would have been past curfew and he wasn't sure he would be able to hide his anxiety about arriving late. No phone call would ease the confrontation with his father.

Pausing at his front door, Zuko thought once again of Sokka. He imagined the other boy was at his own home at the moment, probably spending some quality time with his grandmother and sister. They might even be watching a movie together or playing a board game.

'Sokka may have a negligent father," Zuko thought as he opened the door, 'but he's still better off than me.'

* * *

Thanks for reading. Reviews are really appreciated.


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